Former pope Benedict XVI dies aged 95

The Vatican has announced the death of Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, who passed away at the age of 95.

According to a statement issued by the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, the former pontiff breathed his last at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican on the morning of Saturday, December 31, 2022.

Born Joseph Ratzinger, the German pope emeritus had been living a quiet life in a former convent inside the Vatican grounds since he resigned in February 2013, becoming the first pontiff to do so in over 600 years.

“With sorrow, I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” Bruni stated in the statement on Saturday.

The late pope has had a long battle with ill health, but the Vatican disclosed on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, that his situation had degenerated, prompting his successor, Pope Francis, to call on Catholics worldwide to pray for him.

The last 25 years preceding his ascension to Pope saw Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger head the Vatican’s doctrinal office, then known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

Born in Bavaria on April 16, 1927, the late pope came of age after World War I which also culminated in the period the Nazi regime was growing in power.

His Roman Catholic family was a victim of harassment and punishment by the Nazi Party due to their opposition to state policies. This experience moulded his desire to commit to the church.